Aereo Aims to Make Lemonade From Supreme Court's LemonsJuly 11, 2014
After the Supreme Court appeared to deliver a death blow to Aereo, it has latched onto a part of the Court's decision in an effort to stay alive. The Court determined that Aereo flouted copyright rules by retransmitting programming without a license. Aereo let users watch broadcast TV over the Internet for a monthly fee. Its goal was to give consumers greater TV-viewing flexibility.

Nadella Spells Out Microsoft's Bold AmbitionsJuly 10, 2014
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday mapped out his vision for the company's future, emphasizing cloud and mobile computing, in a letter to all employees. "More recently, we have described ourselves as a 'devices and services' company. While the devices and services description was helpful in starting our transformation, we now need to hone in on our unique strategy," Nadella wrote.

Reading Rainbow Finds Pot of GoldJuly 7, 2014
Reading Rainbow's Kickstarter campaign hit a significant milestone last week: It not only raised the $1 million it originally sought to create a Web version of the popular children's television show within the first 24 hours of the campaign, but also wrapped the 35-day effort with an additional $4.4 million for a grand total of $5,408,916 in donations. The project was organized by LeVar Burton.

Google's in the Mood for SongzaJuly 2, 2014
Google has acquired music-streaming service Songza, adding to its portfolio of streaming media properties. Songza provides custom music playlists intended to match whatever situation listeners find themselves in, effectively providing a fitting soundtrack to their lives. Users select playlists based on time of day, genre, current activity or ambiance.

Yahoo Saves Greendale in 'Community' RescueJuly 2, 2014
Fans of the sitcom Community have cause to celebrate after Yahoo renewed the show for a sixth season. Creator and showrunner Dan Harmon has signed on, along with seven core cast members. The season will have at least 13 episodes and will air weekly starting this fall. NBC ran the show, which centers on the fictional Greendale Community College, for five seasons before canceling it.

YouTube Adds More Tools to Creators' BeltsJuly 1, 2014
YouTube last week announced the addition of new bells and whistles for videographers, apparently to encourage them to create more high-quality content. Among the new tools is a creator studio smartphone app for viewing analytics and managing channels, among other things. An updated audio library offers thousands of royalty-free sound effects, along with more free songs.

In 'The Internet's Own Boy,' the Good Guy Doesn't WinJune 27, 2014The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, a documentary directed and produced by Brian Knappenberger, is opening at theaters and online this weekend -- and re-opening wounds about the subject and his suicide. The film is a reminder that often the good guy doesn't win, said tech analyst Rob Enderle. "If you are going to fight this fight, be aware it will get really ugly."

Supreme Court Puts Kibosh on AereoJune 25, 2014
Aereo may be dead in the water after the Supreme Court ruled it broke federal law by retransmitting programming without paying copyright fees. The company, which allows consumers to watch broadcast TV over the Internet, had been in long-running legal battles with broadcasters. "Today's decision clearly states that how the technology works does not matter," said Aereo founder and CEO Chet Kanojia.

SnappyTV Could Amp Up Twitter AmplifyJune 19, 2014
Twitter just announced a new addition to its social-TV arsenal: SnappyTV, an online service that allows content owners to clip, edit and share video from live broadcasts in near-real time. "As we continue to invest in video, it's important for us to provide tools that make it easy for TV broadcasters, businesses, and event producers to share high-quality videos," said Twitter's Baljeet Singh.

Facebook Aims to Blaze New Gaming Trail on iPadsJune 17, 2014
Facebook on Monday unveiled an iPad app update designed to make the site a hub for game, video and content discovery. A new panel appears on the right-hand side of the iPad providing news and entertainment. Games are heavily featured. More than 70 percent of Facebook for iPad users played a Facebook-connected game in the past 90 days, the company noted.

Sony Storms Out of the E3 GateJune 10, 2014
Sony laid down its markers for PlayStation's months and years ahead with a slew of announcements at the E3 gaming trade show. PlayStation 4 has been handily outselling Xbox One since the consoles launched at the end of 2013. E3 is a key battleground for Sony and Microsoft, as they reveal upcoming software and hardware to entice new customers or keep existing users plugged into their ecosystems.

DoJ to Brush Cobwebs Off Music Licensing AgreementsJune 6, 2014
The U.S. Department of Justice this week said it would review long-held agreements with two major performing-rights organizations with an eye to updating them to reflect the climate of the music industry more accurately. The DoJ's agreements with ASCAP and BMI have been in place for more than 70 years. The consent decrees were last updated in 2001 and 1994 respectively.

Amazon Plans to Stream Music to Prime Members' EarsMay 30, 2014
Amazon reportedly is gearing up to launch a streaming music service this summer, taking on competitors like Pandora and Spotify. The streaming service would be part of Amazon's $99 per year Prime service, which offers subscribers free two-day shipping on many items, video streaming and an e-book lending library. The digital catalog would be limited to titles that are at least six months old.

Wheels Greased for Summer Yahoo-Tube DebutMay 28, 2014
Yahoo is in advanced talks to launch its own online video channel this year, a product meant to rival Google's YouTube, based on a report citing unnamed sources. The news has intrigued the online video and advertising industry because it would introduce some very welcome competition into this channel, owned largely -- but not completely -- by Google.

Iran Releases Fans Detained Over Music VideoMay 22, 2014
Iran has released at least some of the people who appeared in a music video for a song by American pop artist Pharrell Williams. The video, set to the Williams tune "Happy," showed people dancing on rooftops of the capital of Tehran. It is not clear if all of the people arrested for making the Tehran-based video have been released or if they later will be put on trial.

Google's EU Migraine Rears UpMay 21, 2014
Yeah, about that breakthrough between Google and European antitrust regulators... The European Union's antitrust chief might pursue a tougher stance on Google than the one outlined in a February agreement, which was believed to have end -- finally -- the legal circus between the two sides. Google had agreed to display rivals' links more prominently in its search results, a chief concern.

Microsoft Circles Back to HaloMay 17, 2014
Microsoft is returning to one of its biggest franchises with the announcement of a new Halo game, set to debut next year for the Xbox One. Accompanying the release of the title is a new TV show based on the series. The release of Microsoft's latest console, the Xbox One, provided the opportunity to rethink how to move the franchise forward while highlighting the console's assets.

Microsoft Dis-Kinects Xbox OneMay 14, 2014
With Sony's PlayStation 4 increasing its commanding lead over the Xbox One, Microsoft made a play Tuesday to goose sales of its computer game console. The company announced it would start selling Xbox One without its Kinect controller -- which allows a $100 price cut -- and it removed the requirement that Xbox users subscribe to Live Gold to access streaming services they already subscribe to.

AT&T May Be Suiting Up to Battle ComcastMay 13, 2014
AT&T has been negotiating to buy DirecTV for close to $50 billion, based on reports that surfaced Monday. The deal, which has not been confirmed by the companies, could close within a few weeks. The current option on the table, according to anonymous sources, would be largely a stock trade but it would include some cash, with AT&T offering in the low- to mid-$90s per share for DirecTV.

Netflix Newbies Hit With Steeper PriceMay 9, 2014
Netflix is hiking subscription fees for new users of its streaming video service effective immediately, while current members will have a grace period before they must start paying the increased rates. Subscribers in the U.S. and Canada will fork over an extra dollar a month, with the fee jumping to $8.99. Existing subscribers will pay their current fees for two years.

Breaking Down the Crazy Apple-Buying-Beats RiffMay 9, 2014
The hottest -- and possibly craziest -- tech rumor of the week is, hands down, that Apple is in negotiations to acquire Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion. Based on a single report, the story has been fanned into a raging inferno faster than a wildfire on a hot August day. Unfortunately, the only cited source for the rumor is "people familiar with the deal."

HBO to Rerun Hit Shows on Amazon PrimeApril 24, 2014
HBO and Amazon on Wednesday announced a content-sharing partnership that for the first time will allow viewers to see HBO shows on a different platform. Starting May 21, Amazon Prime Instant Video users will have access to some of HBO's hits that are now off the air, including The Sopranos, The Wire, Eastbound & Down, and Enlightened.

Next iOS May Add Shazam Music DiscoveryApril 18, 2014
Have you ever heard a song you never heard before while you were out and about and wished you knew its title and artist? iOS soon may be able to tell you. Apple reportedly is working with Shazam Entertainment to incorporate into iOS 8 a feature that allows a song's title and artist to be identified from a sound grab through the microphone in an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Sonos Swings Into Google's PlaygroundApril 10, 2014
A new partnership between Sonos and Google means that users of the Google Play Music app for Android now can stream music to their Sonos speakers directly from the app itself. Available in 25 countries, the new capability effectively eliminates the need to use Sonos' Controller app as an intermediary. It represents Sonos' first such integration partnership with a major music streaming service.